Tennessee football coach Butch Jones faces the pressure of a demanding fanbase and there is a good chance he will not survive in 2017.
In 2015, Tennessee football had a shaky start, beginning the season 3-4. However, Jones won the remaining games, including a blowout bowl win, to steer the Vols to a 9-4 season.
Last year got off to a rocky start when the Vols needed overtime to defeat Appalachian State. The Vols narrowly defeated Florida and Georgia but lost to South Carolina and in-state rival Vanderbilt.
Jones brought Tennessee from 5-7 to 9-4 and consistently competing for the SEC East crown. That said, Tennessee brought in John Currie as the school’s new athletic director back in March 2017. Currie isn’t likely to feel any loyalty to Jones. If Jones has a lackluster season, he will be out the door.
Oddly enough, Florida and Georgia went through polarizing coaching changes in recent years. Some Florida fans felt Will Muschamp wasn’t given sufficient time to turn the program around, while some Georgia fans remained fiercely loyal to Mark Richt. Obviously, there were plenty more fans who wanted Muschamp and Richt fired. Tennessee fans may face a similar divide at the end of the 2017 season.
Coaching in the SEC is cutthroat. Every SEC coach not named Saban has a short leash (and let’s be honest: Saban has earned some immunity, but his leash is still short because of insanely elevated expectations).
Jones must replace one of the school’s most productive quarterbacks, replace his offensive coordinator, replace a host of offensive playmakers, face a difficult schedule, and face a roster deficiency at linebacker. No big deal, right? Think again.
Let’s take a closer look.